Machine for surfacing sheets



Jan.v 28,: 1930. L. scHULTEf MACHINE.v FOR [SURFACING SHEETS.

Filed. April '26. 1926 5 sheets-'sheen 1 n LNN Jan. 28, 1930.A

L ,scHULTE MACHINE FOR'SURFACING SHEETS Filed .April 25. 1926' "5 sheets-'sheet 2 INVENToR .35.. i' ling pulleys in dottedlines and omitting thei- -Patenfed-Jan. 2s, 1930 i'eXible to yield to slight irregularitiesin the Ido not-limit myself to the speciiic con which illustrate a preferred UNITED 'STATES PATENT oFFicE LOUIS SCHULTE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO ALLE- GHENY STEEL COMPANY, OF BRAGKENBIYDGE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

application mea Apr-11 2e,

This invention relates .to the art o f surfacing sheets for the purpose of cleaning or plicable to the grinding and polishlngof sheets, it is also adaptable to the brushlng orbuling of sheets.

' The invention has for its principal object to providea machine for the treatment of the surface ofv sheets, plates or the like Wherein substantially the entire' area of the sheet is evenly subjected'to the surface treatment. It is also proposed,- according to the present invention-to provide a machine Vwherein the surface treatment of the sheets or plates may MACHINE L:11013, sunracme SHEETS 192e. seriai No. 104,571.

Figure 5 is a side elevation showing a portion of the carriage apart from the rest of the switch by means of which the movement of the carriage is controlled;

Figure 6 is an end view of 'that part of the machine shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a slightly modified form of a machine.

In the drawings, 2 designates the bed of the machine which is supported on standards 3 and 4 at opposite ends of the bed. Secured to the underside of the bed 2 .are wedges 5 which engage supportin blocks 6 inthe rebel quickly an ;l `1 'apidlyv eifected and without spectivestandards 3 an ,4. These support- -liability of injuring the sheets through burn-.1,

ing or buckling'the'metaland wherein the "c ing blocks can be raised or lowered by means of' screws Y7y inthe standards.

plates may be groundor polished while held `F` In'the center ofthe bed on the underside with asubstantially uniform pressure againstythereof -ls a shaft 8 having a threaded end the grinding or polishing v ing and polishing meansbeing more orV less surface ofthe metal.

means', the-grinds portion' 9 which passes through a nut 10 in the `center of the standard 3. The other end of the shaft 8 is carried ina bearing l1 securedlto the'underside of thebed of the ma- The invention may be 'readily understood schine and has a pinion 12 thereon.\ This pinby reference to the accompanying drawings the invention, but; itv will be understood that struction therein shown as various changes ,and modifications may. struction of the machmewithin the spirit and contemplation of my invention.

be made in the con- In the drawings:

i Figure l is a top plan view'of the entire belt. A

Figure .2 is a side elevation thereof showing the abradingbelt and its pulley in dotted lines Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view showing" one end of the machine including the rack drive for reciprocating the sheet or plate supvthe machine;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail View' of the forward 4end of the plate supporting carriage;

ion meshes with a second pinion 13 on a transembodiment of versely extendingv shaft 14. The oliter end polishing the same, and while primarily apmachine together with the electric limit of lshaft 14 projects slightly beyond one side i of the bed so that an operating crank may beapplied thereto. Upon rotation of the shaft 14 in the proper direction, shaft 8` will be rotated toeffect an endwise travel of the -bed of themachine with respect to standards 3 and 4. Y This endwise movement of the bed will cause the wedges 5 to move upwardly on the supporting blocks 6 to thereby effect a corresponding vraisingfor lowering of the bed. The bed can be adjusted to be level or to have Yany desired degree of angularity by adjustment of the bolts 7 Carriced on the bed of the machine is a pair imv of rails 15 which extend along the bed more than one-halfof the length thereof". At the opposite end of the bed is a second pair of rails 16 which are spaced apart slightly further than the rails 15 and Whichhave 1nne'i-j95w ends'overlappin'g the ends of the rails 15.

The vinner ends of the rails 16 are"Y inclined as shown at 17;

' Supported above the bed for movement therealong on wheels 18 and 19 is a carriage and smoothed on its top surface, and may if,

desired provide the support for the sheets to be treated, although there is preferably a thin layer of sheet metal 22 on top of the pad 21. Asbest shown in Figure 4 the mat 21 does not extend entirely to the forward end of the carriage, but terminates a short distance back of the forward or inner end of the carriage. Mounted in this forward portion of the carriage is a transversely extending eccentric 23 on a shaft 24. Over the eccentric and spaced a slight distance thereabove is a plate 25, which is preferably one leg of an angle iron arranged transversely across the end of the machine, this angle iron having a depending leg 26 which is bolted at 27 to the end of the carriage. The eccentric 23 together with the overhanging lip or plate 25 provides the.

sheet clamping means on the carriage. As

"shown in Figure 4 the end of a sheet or plate,

designated A, is projected under the overhanging lip after which the shaft 24 is oper'- ated to clamp the end of the plate against the said overhanging lip.

Secured to the underside of the carriage is a longitudinally extending rack QS having a forward end portion 29 which is inclined with respect to the portion 28 to the same extent and degree that the ends of the tracks or rails 16 are inclined at 17. This is for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully described.

At approximately the center of the 'bed of the machine is another standard or supporting frame 30 having adjustable bearings 31 of a standard or preferred type in the top thereof, these bearings being adjustable longitudinally of the bed of the machine by means of hand Wheels 3Q. 'The bearings 31 carr-y a shaft 33 on which is a sheet surfacing element 34. This is preferably in the form of a bufing wheel having a width greater than the width of the carriage. Instead of being a butling wheel, however, it may be any suitable cylindrical body which is preferably flexible to a slight extent, or it may be a brush. lVhen the machine is used for merely cleaning plates the body 34 may be a brush. lVhen it is used for polishing plates it may be an ordinary buliing wheel. For grinding and polishing it is preferably, however, a bulng wheel around which is passed a flexible belt 35 which may have abrasive material carried on its outer surface. For coarse grinding the belt 35 would have an abrasive of suitable grain applied thereto, whereas for polishing the belt would have a felt surface with a suitable polishing compound on the felt. The

Vcarriage and at a suitable Velevation above t outer end of the belt passes around rigid driving pulley 36 carried in adjustable bearings 37 on a stand 38at the rear end of the machine. A. pulley 39 may be provided for driving the pulley 36 to operate the belt The element 34 around which the belt E35 passes is located over the inner end of the ne bed of the machine.

Carried in the bed of the machine on a shaft 40 is a pinion 41 which meshes with the rack Q8-29. This pinion may be driven in any' suitable way. I have illustrated the drive for the pinion as including a chain 42 meshing with a sprocket 43 on the shaft 4() and with a second sprocket 44 on a shaft 45. Shaft 45 is driven through a suitable driving element such as pulley 46 from a reversible motor not shown.

In the operation of the machine the wheels 18 are normally at the bottom of the incline tracks 17 and the carriage is at its rearmost position. The wheels 19 always remain on the rails 15. In this normal position it will be seen that the carriage is inclined downwardly to a slight extent. It is for this reason that the forward end 29 of the rack 28 is inclined, that is, so that it may remain in engagement with the driving pinion 41 in the bed of the machine. Upon rotation of the pinion 41 in a counter clockwise direction as viewed from Figure 8, the carriage will be caused to travel forwardly. As it travels forwardly the wheels 18 will roll.up the inclined ends 17 of the rails 16. By the time that the clamping mechanism atthe forward end of the carriage has been advanced forwardly beyond the lowest part of the belt or element 34 the carriage will move horizontally along the rails 16 without further vertical movement. This initial upward and forward movement of the carriage is for the purpose of permitting the clamp to clear the sheet treating` element'and raise the carriage suicientl to bring the sheet A into contact with the s eet treating element. Then the carriage has traveled the desired distance in one direction 'it is reversed and it travels in the opposite direction. When it approaches its rearmost position the wheels 18 ride down the incline through 17 so that the sheet clamping means will clear the sheet treating element For effecting automatic reciprocation of the carriage I preferably provide a pair of adjustable fingers 47 and 48. respectively, at one side of the carriage. For this purpose one side of the carriage has a flanged edge portion 49, as best shown in Figure 6, and the respective fingers 47 and 48 are slotted to enga-ge the flanged portion 49. Each of the fingers is provided with a clamp nut by means of which it can he set in a given position; Ordinarily the forward linger 47 remains permanently set in one position while llt) . thus arranged, the carriage will travel from the normal retracted position forwardly until the finger 48 contacts with switch contact 48a to reverse the driving motor and thereby reverse the direction of travel' of the carriage. The carriage will then travel back to the starting position after' Awhich it will again start forward, unless it is otherwise stopped.

In the usual practice of grinding or polishing a plate, the plate will pass back'and forth under the surface treating element two or three times. The sheet or plate needs to be held at the 'forward end only with the belt' 35 traveling in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2. The surface of the belt or the other sheet treating means, whatever it may be, will not Contact with that portion of the plate which is engagedv in the sheet holding means, but will be held in contact with the remaining portion of the sheet. To clean or-otlier- Wise treat the-end of which isv engaged under the clamping means, it is necessary to reverse the sheet on the carriage.

-By a proper adjustment 'of the height of the bed through the mechanism liereinbefore described the surface of the carriage may be raised or lowered with respect to the grindingor polishing belt 35 so as to secure a proper pressure of the belt against the plate. This adjustment of the b'ed also serves to permit the machine to be used on plates ofV different' thicknesses.` By adjustment of the screws 7 it is possible to keep the surface of the carriage level during the portion of its travel under the polishing beltor to adjust the surface of the carriage to accommodate the machine to the treating of plates of uneven thickness.

By passing the abrasive belt 35 around a yieldable or flexible member 34, such for instance as a wide buff wheel, the plate or sheet to be polished can be pressed against the belt with considerable pressure so as to secure a sufficient grinding or polishing action. When the sheet is pressed against the belt in this manner thebuif will compress 4and .l let the belt flatten to a certain extent so as to increase its area of Contact with the plate and thereby secure a more efficient abrasive or polishing contact. .This feature of the invention is particularly claimed in my copending application, Serial No.`104,570, led

April 26,1926.

T-he machine may be adapted to the treating of plates or sheets whose width is greater than the width of the carriage. This may be done by adjusting the bearings 31 for the member 34 sothat it will be at an angle other than a right angle toithe-path of travel of the carriage. This adjustment of the membei` 34 will cause the belt lo shift to one side or the other lof the member 34, according to the direction in which the member 34 is set, so that the belt will polish one side 0f a wide plate overhanging the j'carriage. Then by reversing the direction in which the member 34 is set the belt could be caused to travel to the other edge of the member 34 to polish the overhanging edge of the sheet at the other side of the carriage.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 7 the carriage travels along the track without verticalmovement but has means thereon cooperating with means on. the surface treating element for effecting a vertical. movement of the latter when the clamp on-'the carriage moves under it. In this arrangemeirt, 51

designatesA the bed of the machine having a carriageQ movable therealong and on the carriageis a clamping means 453 similar to that hereinbefore described. Supported over thepath'of travel of the machine is a surface treating element 54 preferably inthe form of a continuous belt passing around a cylindricalhody 55. The cylindrical body 55 is carried in vertically slidable, bearings 5B on side posts 57. Depending from the bearing blocks 56 is an extension 58 preferably having a cam roller 59 thereon. Secured to the side of the carriage is an inclined cam s urface 60 properly positioned to engage the roller 59 and raise thebearings for the cylindrical body when the clamping means on the car-` riage. is .moving underthe lowest portion of thel belt. This arrangement constitutes only a reversal ofthe embodiment shown in Figures l and2 wherein the surface treating 'element moves with respect to the carriage instead of the carriage moving vertically with respect to the surface treating' element.

An advantage of the present invention arises from the fact that the sheets to be treated are automatically reciprocated under fact that with the machine as thus arranged i the plates can be evenly and uniformly treated-with .rapidity and economy. The asbestos pad on which the sheets are supported serves to prevent the heat produced in the operation from thecarriage, thereby preventing the warping' 'thereof due-fto unequal heating.

This pad gives to the sheet being treated a limited resiliency with respect to the sheet treating means, and as stated above, a thin layer of sheet metal as shown at 22 is preferably placed on top of the pad 2l for absorbing heat from the sheet being treated. In this way the sheet beingtreated is provided with means for absorbing the excess heat and such heat is prevented from injur' ing the metal top of the carriage. In many1 instances heretofore it has been experienced that the carriage top has warped due to the heat from the sheet being treated. Another very desirable advantage of this pad lies in the fact that it greatly decreases the noise of the machine. lVhile I have shown and described the clamping element as being disposed at the extreme forward end of the carriage, it may be otherwise located or disposed at the opposite end, the incline in the rails, or the incline on the carriage, being correspondingly positioned.

I claim:

l. A machine for treating the surface of plates and the like'including a carriage, a clamping means on the carriage at one end only, a surface treating'element in the path of travel of the carriage clamping means, means for reciprocating the carriage, a guideway along which the carriage travels, one end of said guideway having an incline therein vwhereby the clamping means at one end of the carriage may move under the surfacetreating element without contacting therewith and whereby the carriage and clamping means will be raised upon further movement thereof in one direction to bring a plate on.

the carriage into Contact with the surface treating element.

2. In a machine of the class described, a bed, rails on the bed, a carriage having a clamping means at one end movable along the rails, said rails having an incline therein, a surface treating element over the bed adjacent the incline portion of the rails, and means for reciprocating the carriage along the rails, said incline in the rails serving to impart a vertical movement to one end of the carriage to lower the clamping means beneath the surface treating element whenl the carriage travels along the incline portion of the rails.

3.V In a machine of the class described, a bed, rails on the bed, a carriage movable along the rails and having a work-clamp at one end, said rails having an incline therein, a surface treating element over the hed adjacent the incline portion of the rails and in the path of said work-clamp, and means for reciprocating the carriage along the rails, said incline in the rails serving to impart a vertical movement to one end of the carriage and its clamp when the carriage travels along the incline portion of the rails, means for longitudinally adjusting the bed, and means for vertically adjusting the bed.

4. In a machine of the class described, a plate treating element, a carriage movable beneath the plate treating element, a guideway along which the carriage moves, a plate clamp at the forward end of the carriage normally lying in the plane of said plate treating element, said guideway having a depression therein adjacent the plate treating element, the carriage having wheels thereon which ride in the guideway, said depression permitting the forward end of the carriage and its clamp -to lower when it is under the surface treating means whereby the surface treating means will not be brought into engagement with the plate clamping means.

A machine for surfacing sheets com rising a hed having a guideway thereon, the said guideway comprising a pair of spaced rails disposed on each end of the bed, the adjacent ends of the said rails connected together and provided with an incline thereon, the space between the rails on one end being greater than the space between the rails on the other end, a reciprocated carriage carried b v the said rails having wheels for engaging and cooperating with the said rails, the wheels on one of the said carriages being reversed from the wheels disposed on the other end, an abrading element disposed above the said Acarriage and means for permitting one end of the carriage to pass under the abrading element free from contact therewith, the said means causing the remaining top portion of the carriage to contact with the abrading element.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' LOUIS SCHULTE 

